Players lose if tetrominoes overflow off the top of the board or their next piece is not able to spawn because it overlaps an existing block on the playfield.

More garbage can be sent by completing combination moves in succession of making a "tetris" (matching 4 lines at once) or performing a "T-spin" (squeezing the T-shaped tetromino into a position it would otherwise not fall into by rapidly rotating it).

The physical edition includes the Big Block DLC content and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online voucher.

[8] In addition, later events would be used to promote other Nintendo Switch games by offering exclusive themes consisting of new sound effects, background music, sprites and UI elements based on current releases.

[9][10] These would either be exclusively unlocked by participating in their respective events or could be purchased with in-game tickets earned by completing daily challenges.

[12] According to IGN Tetris 99 is a "wondrous pandemonium in a battle royale bottle" and that "the massive player count really ups the intensity.

"[18] During a financial results briefing, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa reported that Tetris 99 had been played by over 2.8 million accounts as of April 2019.